The RSC® Brace Patients Informations.

How do I get accustomed to the RSC® Brace?

In the first few weeks it is important to observe certain rules so that you can easily get accustomed to your brace. As a basic rule: do not overdo anything, but still purposefully try to reach the wearing period necessary for you. The brace is initially worn at night, then the afternoons are added and finally the mornings.

Once you have taken the RSC® Brace home with you, you can once again take the time and put it on as it was explained to you during the fitting. Take it off again after 30-45 minutes. Then put it back on when you go to sleep. Now there are three scenarios:

You still cannot sleep after one and a half hours: take the brace off.

You fall asleep and wake up at night: if you feel uncomfortable or suffer pain, then take the brace off.

You sleep through the entire night until the next morning. Not it can be that you feel tired. This is a completely normal condition. The tiredness comes from the work which the many small muscles perform on the spine and between the ribs in order to steer your chest and your spine into the correction areas. It can also partially feel like sore muscles. But this effect should be gone after a short time.

What are the periods for wearing my RSC® Brace?

The wearing periods depend on certain parameters of your curvature and age. Your treatment team – in the optimal case, this consists of trained physiotherapists, orthopaedic technicians and a doctor – will determine the wearing period for you on the basis of these values.

How do I put my RSC® Brace on?

Putting on your brace correctly provides the basis so that it can function effectively. In the initial phase (approx. 1-2 weeks) it is very useful to put your RSC® Brace on while lying down. This is due to the following reasons:

Your spine relaxes when you are lying down. You can enhance this effect by bending your legs so that the bending angle of your hip joints is approx. 80°.

It is easier for you to find the right position in the brace when lying down. Then by means of your body perception you can very quickly learn where the pressure zones must fit and how the free zones function.

Make sure that you position your brace at the correct height. If it sits too deep, this could lead to pressure pains on the iliac crests. It also functions much better if it is carefully positioned.

Your orthopaedic technician will explain where the pressure zones are and how your RSC® Brace functions during the fitting.

How do I clean my RSC® Brace?

You should clean your brace regularly. It is best to orient yourself according to how much you make use of it. Daily cleaning does no damage. Soaps which are pH-neutral (e.g. your shower gel) are generally suitable for this purpose. You can moisten a cloth and wash out your RSC® Brace. It does not damage your RSC® Brace if you put it under the shower for general cleanings.

How do I take care of my skin?

Basically, you should always check the strained parts of your skin when you take your RSC® Brace off or if you feel something unpleasant. This is how you can prevent strains and injuries to your skin and the tissue lying underneath.

Cleaning the parts of your skin strained by your brace should occur daily. It is advisable for you to use pH-neutral soaps and shower gels for daily personal hygiene.

If you use body creams, you must make sure that the places on the skin where your brace’s pressure zones are located are ventilated and dry. If the skin in these areas is still too moist or greasy, it cannot easily withstand the pressures and irritations can arise. Daily personal hygiene and cleaning the brace are very important, because the deposited body salts which result from sweating can lead to unpleasant skin irritations. Pungent and aggressive cleaning agents can also cause this.

There are special preparations and applications which can be used for hardening the skin. It is best to ask your orthopaedic technician about what they can recommend to you.

How do I keep my RSC® Brace in good condition?

In addition to cleaning your RSC® Brace, you should also check the additional pads and other modifications. The protective and corrective pads can occasionally loosen and affect the function of your brace. If they come off or are dirty, you can have them replaced by your orthopaedic technician. This also applies to hook & loop fasteners.

If they are dirty, they can no longer close the brace firmly enough. Also make sure that they do not loosen when you are wearing the brace. You can prolong the lifespan of hook & loop fasteners by always keeping them closed, even if you are not wearing your brace at the moment.

What do I need the brace shirt for?

Brace shirts are worn to protect the skin. They do not have any seams in the pressure zones and are made from especially elastic materials. The elastic materials of the brace shirts prevent wrinkling. Wrinkles in clothing can damage your skin. If you wear brace shirts you also have to make sure that no winkles form.

There are particularly fashionable brace shirts which have special protective flaps armpits. They protect you from the edges of the brace in your armpit area.

How often should I observe follow-up appointments?

Regular check-ups of your brace and your back are essential for the success of brace treatment. Your orthopaedic technician will inform you about follow-up appointments. But you should visit the technician at the latest every 3 months for a check-up.

This is particularly important in the main growth phase. Your doctor should also regularly check the degree of progress being made. Nowadays there are also interesting methods for presenting the spine without X-rays. Modifications to be made on the brace in order to optimally adjust it for you again after growth phases or corrections made will be examined during the follow-up appointments.

How do I notice that my RSC® Brace no longer fits?

How is the brace prepared for X-ray check?

Before the X-ray check you should have your brace checked by your orthopaedic technician. It is important that the brace also sits and functions correctly before the X-ray. Metal marks which are recognisable on the X-ray image later are generally installed. These help with the localisation of diverse correction zones of your brace in relation to the spine.

What is a pressure mark?

Pressure marks can generally arise through wearing braces. Some are intended and are an indication of whether and how the brace functions. For example, this is the impression that forms through a shoe fastener on the foot or the redness on the stomach when you take pants or trousers off.

Pressure marks are problematic if the red spots are extremely dark red or if the surface of the skin shows abrasions. If this is the case, something on the brace absolutely has to be adjusted. In particular, the support and pressure zones of braces are usually reddened through wearing. The skin in these areas can become slightly darker through wearing your RSC® Brace regularly.

This is a great protective mechanism of the skin, which reacts to the pressure of the brace so that you can manage the brace better. The darkening of the skin disappears after you get accustomed to your brace.

What are the free zones in my RSC® Brace for?

The free zones (so-called “expansion zones”) of your RSC® Brace are an important and characteristic element. If you are involved in physiotherapy according to the Schroth concept, you will very quickly recognise this. The brace is designed so that you will be pushed into the expansion zones with every breath. This mechanism is achieved by blocking the movements in the false posture. The unrestricted movement of your chest and your spine in the free zones must always be ensured.

If you perform physiotherapy according to the Schroth or BSRS (Barcelona Scoliosis Rehabilitation School) concept, which came about on the basis of the teachings of Katharina Schroth and Christa Lehnert-Schroth, this is the optimal combination for correcting your spine and your chest.